Going Away to College
by cruiseaholic
Summary: "Maybe my friends are off having fun without me," Alicia thought, watching as Todd cannon-balled back into the pool, tossing his hair out of his face adorably as he resurfaced. "But that doesn't mean I can't have a little fun of my own."


Alicia Rivera crossed one long, tanned leg over the other as she perched at the edge of the Westchester Country Club pool. Her thick dark hair fell in soft waves down her back, gleaming in the bright mid-afternoon sun, and she held a fruity cocktail drink (alcoholic, the bartender's appreciation for her teeny Calvin Klein bikini top causing him to overlook her lack of ID) in her freshly manicured fingers. It was the perfect summer day… or, at least, it would have been, were it not for the fact that a girl could only spend so many days at the pool by herself before she was bored out of her mind. But being the only member of her circle of friends left in Westchester, it wasn't like she had any other options.

It was late August, and everyone had already left for their respective universities—everyone, that is, except Alicia. Alicia had been thrilled when she was accepted early decision at her dream school, Northwestern University. Going to Northwestern meant being at the school with the best journalism program in the country—putting her one step closer to becoming a world-renowned news anchor—but it also meant that Move-In Day wasn't until September 10, long after schools like Harvard and Columbia, where Kristen and Massie were going, had started class.

Alicia's phone beeped, and she sighed. No doubt it was another tweet from Dylan about the super-cute college boys who lived in her dorm. Or worse, a tweet from her on-again, off-again, currently off-again "because he didn't want to be tied down at college" boyfriend Josh about the super-cute college _girls_ in _his_ dorm.

Ignoring her phone, she instead gazed out across the pool through the tinted shades of her ray bans. Trophy wives lounged on pool chairs, gossiping and sipping martinis as their water-winged children splashed around in the kiddie pool under the watchful eyes of their nannies. A group of high school girls—who, like Alicia, wouldn't start school until after Labor Day—let out high-pitched squeals as a group of teenage boys cannon-balled into the pool mere inches away. Alicia watched in amusement as the girls pretended to be angry with the boys for splashing them, their lips pouting but their eyes sparkling from the attention. Alicia recognized the boy with floppy red hair as Claire's younger brother, Todd. It had been a while since she had last seen him, but he seemed to be growing up nicely, his chest and arms tan and defined from his summer job of doing yard work for the neighbors. Todd glanced over and Alicia waved. A smile stretched across his face and the high school girls pouted for real this time as he got out of the pool and ambled over to where she was sitting.

"Hey," he said, taking a seat beside her, his feet dangling in the water.

"Hey." She smiled. Noticing that the girls were still watching them, she struck a flirtatious pose, leaning forward and tilting her head up at him. The girls scowled and turned away, focusing their attention on Todd's less-attractive friends.

"Why haven't you left for school yet?" Todd asked, kicking his feet back and forth and causing small ripples to form on the surface of the pool.

"I don't leave until September," she explained, feeling another twinge of annoyance as her phone beeped again.

"So you still got a few weeks left then."

"At this rate it might as well be a few months." Alicia sighed again and leaned back, draining the last of her drink.

"Oh come on, Westchester's not so bad," Todd argued.

"It is when you don't have any friends to hang out with," Alicia shot back. Todd widened his eyes in mock hurt, his hands moving protectively to his heart as if she had just wounded it.

"I'm hurt! I thought I was your friend."

Alicia rolled her eyes.

"Please, I only put up with you because you're my friend's baby brother."

"Yeah, right. You put up with me 'cause even though I'm two years younger than you, you think I'm hot." Todd smirked. Alicia's jaw dropped and she took both hands and shoved him into the pool before he could notice the blush that had risen to her cheeks. But Todd had quick reflexes and he grabbed hold of her arms, pulling her into the pool with him.

"Hey!" Alicia sputtered, coughing up water.

"I'm not sure that you have the right to be angry, seeing as how you're the one who shoved me," Todd pointed out, a teasing grin on his face.

"Whatever, you had it coming to you," Alicia replied, giving him another shove. Todd laughed.

"Look, I should probably get back to my friends, seeing as how the last time Brian was alone with a girl he nearly peed his pants," Todd began, hoisting himself out of the pool and drying his hands off on Alicia's towel. He picked up her phone, looking straight at her as he plugged his number into it. "But next time you find yourself feeling sorry for yourself because all your friends are off at college, you should just give me a call." He winked at her as he put the phone back down, then turned and made his way back to his friends. The phone beeped yet again, this time because Claire was tweeting pictures from FSU of herself with her Pi Chi group, but Alicia couldn't bring herself to be annoyed. _Maybe my friends are off having fun without me,_ Alicia thought, watching as Todd cannon-balled back into the pool, tossing his hair out of his face adorably as he resurfaced. _But that doesn't mean I can't have a little fun of my own._


End file.
